70% of all Construction Businesses Fail within 7 years
I had the pleasure of attending the Women Builder Council meeting on April 17, 2015 – Strategies for MWBE Capacity Building, Contracts and Compliance. Denise Richardson, Executive Director of the General Contractors Association made mention of the fact that 70% of all construction businesses fail within 7 years. She provided …
Read MoreIs there really an opportunity to increase sales through MWBE Certification for small professional services firms?
Most recently I have seen an increasing frustration amongst small professional services firms because they are really struggling with how to use their MWBE certification. Many certified MWBEs have shared that they just don’t feel that the certification is worth it. As a professional services firm I wanted to …
Read More7 Proven Strategies for Small Professional Firms to Win More Contracts Leveraging MWBE Certification
I just heard from another solo practitioner that she is not renewing her MWBE certification this year. According to my friend, the certification did not produce the results that she was looking for. Certification is not for everyone. For me, certification has been a tremendous advantage helping to attract new …
Read MoreBIDDING STRATEGIES FOR EMERGING SECURITY GUARD FIRMS
There is no shortage of bid opportunities for security guard firms. That said, the bid process can be an arduous undertaking for a small firm, it does require planning, resources and a certain level of expertise. Here are five tips to help you increase your win rates. Capacity: it’s …
Read MoreGrowing Your Small Professional Services Company with Corporations
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Women’s Economic Development Center’s http://wedcbiz.org/ panel discussion and networking reception on Growing Your Business with Corporate Contracts. In addition to the fabulous team at WEDC, representatives from Westchester County IDA, IBM, MasterCard and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals shared information about opportunities for small …
Read MoreMWBE SUCCESS: RESPONDING TO RFPs – TIPS for Emerging Security Guard Firms
We are seeing an greater number of opportunities for small, minority and women owned security guard firms to do business with the government. The opportunities are in the form of MWBE participation goals and small business set asides, yet many companies are continuing to struggle with responding to RFPs. Here …
Read MoreMWBE SUCCESS: Responding to Requests from Prime Contractors
Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to interview a number of MWBE firms discussing issues and concerns. One of the most common challenges MWBE firms are facing is sending information to prime contractors and then never hearing from them again. Prime Contractors doing business with …
Read MoreMWBE SUCCESS – Differentiate through Certification & Self-Branding
Certification is a powerful tool for disadvantaged, small, minority and woman owned firms to increase opportunities with government agencies and large corporations. That said, all too often I see certified businesses really struggling with how to use certification; they are frustrated and often give up before seeing any real results …
Read MoreMWBE SUCCESS: 5 TIPS FOR INCREASING SALES IN 2015
Analyze Sales from 2014: taking into consideration where sales are coming from, profitability and activities that are contributing or not contributing to results. What is the return on investment from your marketing, business and networking activities? Are you doing what is necessary to drive sales? If not, what is holding …
Read More5 Tips for Follow up – 8th Annual NYC Procurement Fair
I was truly inspired yesterday after attending the NYC Procurement Fair as Mayor DeBlasio and members of the MWBE team shared their deep connections to entrepreneurship and diversity. I am always energized and grateful for the opportunity to connect with government buyers, gather information and network with other MWBEs – …
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